Coming Home
by sheisamelody
Summary: Frank's feelings for Rachel begin to resurface when he returns from his Venezuelan sailing trip to find that some things in Sydney have changed more than he would ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

_**Coming Home**_

* * *

Summary: Frank's feelings for Rachel begin to resurface when he returns from his Venezuelan sailing trip to find that some things in Sydney have changed a lot more than he would ever have imagined.  
A/N: Just a bit of a Frank/Jack/Rachel 'love triangle' sorta fic. :)

(Rated T, for a bit of swearing and possibly some implied violence in the chapter to come)

* * *

Sailing into Sydney Harbour was always such a magnificent sight, even on a dreary day. This day, however, was picture perfect, and Frank Holloway smiled as he breathed in the fresh, salty air. Everything about the city of Sydney and its glorious harbour was just as he remembered. He docked his boat, 'Footloose', at the marina in Rushcutters Bay, and stepped out onto the wharf, happy that his feet were finally standing on dry, but more importantly, _stationary_ ground.

"Ahhh!" Frank exclaimed, stretching his arms out above his head as if he had been asleep for the last eight hours. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself now that he was home; several options whirled around in his mind, but one option stood out the most.

The Sydney Water Police.

Detective Senior Constable Rachel Goldstein.

Eighteen months ago, Frank had wanted Rachel to go with him to Venezuela.

" _It would be so fantastic if you wanted to come. If you could come."_

He meant every word of it, too; he really did want her to go on the journey with him. That's what it was all about for Frank, the _journey_. But, sharing it with Rachel… well, that would have been something more.

Sometimes, Frank regretted leaving Rachel behind, regretted leaving her standing on the wharf with silent tears running down her face. He regretted his poor choice of words too. Why was "you take care" the only fucking thing he said to her as he sailed away? What if it was the last thing he ever said to her? There were other things that Frank also hated about leaving her behind. Like the idea of her being partnered with someone else, someone who, in his mind, would never look out for her the way he did.

Frank sighed softly at the nostalgic recollection of his best friend. He then wondered what she would be doing right at that very moment, and stupidly, he even wondered what she would look like now; whether her hair would be longer or shorter, would her fringe be gone? He started to walk towards the footpath, away from the bustling marina, making the firm decision to stop deliberating and go and see her. It would be a surprise for her to see him, no doubt, but hopefully, he thought, a _good_ surprise.

* * *

The Sydney Water Police station looked exactly the same as it did on his final day of work all those long months ago. The beautiful outlook was still the same as well; the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge, gleaming in the sunshine, even the Opera House's distinctive white sails were slightly visible from the building! Frank walked down some stairs, passing several uniformed police officers along the way. He smiled at them, and they smiled back at him, despite undoubtedly having no idea who the hell he was, or why he was dressed in an outrageously patterned t-shirt, shorts and a pair of ridiculous looking 'boat' shoes.

At the front of the building, close to the water's edge, Frank spotted a woman sitting down on the ground, a number of metres from the main wharf where the Harpy was moored. A sixth sense, almost, told him that the woman was Rachel and he walked over to her. "Did you miss me?"

Somewhat startled, the woman twisted her upper body around, in the direction of his voice, immediately recognising who it belonged to, " _Frank_!" she exclaimed with a broad, beaming smile on her face.

That smile, he thought, it was still the same. Still wonderfully beautiful. Her dark hair was a little longer than when he last saw her. But there was something even _more_ different about her, he noticed, as she stood up to greet him properly - with a bear hug. Once they let go of each other, Frank couldn't help but glance down, intriguingly.

Rachel's eyes followed his, and it wasn't long before she realised what he was looking at, "Oh yeah, that," she smiled, putting one hand on her rounder than usual stomach, "Pregnant…" she then told him with a nod and a little sheepish smile.

"Yes, I can see that…" Frank answered, also with a nod.

"But -" Rachel began, looking him in the eyes, "Frank! You're back! You look great!" she exclaimed, noticing that, apart from his hair which had grayed slightly, he looked pretty much the same as he did when he left. "When did you get back? How long have you been here? How was the trip? Did you have a good time?" she sounded like she had been drinking too much caffeine, as she bombarded him with fast, excited questions.

He motioned for her to sit down again, before he did the same, sitting next to her with his feet dangling over the edge. "Oh… I got into the harbour a couple of hours ago," Frank stated, thinking about what else she had asked him, "And the trip was good. Pretty good. Although, being away has made me realise how much I do love Sydney. _And_ speaking English."

She laughed.

"So…" he paused wistfully, "Yours and Jack Christey's creation, I take it?" he pointed to her stomach.

Rachel detected something was rather off about the tone of his voice, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she guessed what it was instead, "Your sarcasm is obviously too hard for you to hide."

Frank held up both hands, open palmed, "Not sarcasm, Rachel," he defended himself, "Just an innocent question."

She glanced over at him, not really believing his response, but she eventually said, "Yes, me and Jack. It's a _long_ story."

"I have to say," Frank was nodding once more, slowly this time, "I probably should've known that it would be Jack who replaced me. But, funnily enough, I didn't actually think about him. I just thought it would be some other bastard who wouldn't look out for you."

"Is that your way of saying you don't think Jack looks out for me?"

"Well, _clearly_ he does," Frank used his eyes to indicate to her pregnancy, "But ya know… one can't help but be a little bit pessimistic about these things."

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You two _really_ need to put aside your differences… or _similarities_ I should say," she paused, before her eyes lit up and she enthusiastically suggested, "Maybe we should all go out to the pub tonight! Celebrate your return!"

* * *

" _Frank's_ back?!" exclaimed Mick, wide eyed, "As in the formidable Frank Holloway?"

Rachel, sitting down at her desk, took a sharp breath in, "That's the one!" she then replied with a quiet laugh, "I could hardly believe it myself when I saw him."

"Wow!" Mick was still a little dumbfounded, "And… what did he think of… _your_ little surprise?"

"Oh… well, he didn't actually say all that much about it," Rachel answered on reflection, "I didn't expect him to, either."

"Does he know Jack?"

"Does who know me?" Jack entered the office, having heard his name being said. He sat down at his desk, glaring over at Mick with his eyebrows raised.

Mick glanced across at Rachel, before looking back over at Jack, saying simply, "Frank."

"Frank?" Jack questioned, trying his best not to frown. He knew _who_ Mick was talking about, but he didn't know _why_ Frank was being talked about, "What about him?"

"He's back," Rachel told him, wondering how he was going to react, "I saw him outside when I was on my lunch break."

Jack was just as dumbfounded as Mick by the news of Frank's return, if not more. It was no secret, at least not to Rachel, that Jack and Frank didn't exactly get along. Sometimes it almost seemed as though they were slightly jealous of each other. Jack sat back in his chair, so deep in thought that he didn't notice Mick and Rachel were staring at him, eagerly waiting for his response. "So… how is old Frank?" he eventually asked, realising that he was being stared at.

"He seemed pretty good," Rachel replied, there was a small smile on her face, "I suggested that we all go out to the pub tonight."

"Hey! I like that idea, Rach! Good one!" Mick said with a grin, still looking over at Jack, "Although, I must remember _not_ to let Frank get me drunk this time! I don't know how the hell he did it… he had the same amount of beers as I did. I think."

Rachel smiled, remembering back to the day when Mick came into work with a hangover. Frank told her that he had only bought Mick a 'couple of beers'.

"He was probably tipping his out when you weren't looking, Mick," Jack offered a rather flat-toned response.

" _No_!? Frank wouldn't do something like that… would he?"

Both Jack and Rachel nodded at him vigorously, "That is _exactly_ like something Frank would do!" Jack answered, half-smirking.

* * *

Arriving at the Cutter Bar later that evening, Frank saw a few familiar faces, but also some faces he didn't recognise. Rachel and Jack were sitting down at one of the tables; they looked very intimate, very much in love, he instinctively observed. Seeing them together was almost a bittersweet feeling for Frank. All he ever wanted was for Rachel to be happy, but he just wasn't quite sure if he wanted her to be happy with _Jack_.

"Hi Frank," Jack greeted him with a surprisingly genuine smile, "Welcome back. Can I buy you a drink?"

Frank smiled back at him, and they shook hands firmly, "Sure, thanks Jack. A beer would be nice," he sat down opposite Rachel, as Jack got up and walked over to the bar. Frank looked down at what Rachel was drinking - a lemon, lime and bitters. "Does not drinking alcohol at the pub bother you, Rachel?"

"No, not really," she answered, shaking her head, "I did have half a glass, if that, of red wine here a couple of weeks ago… you should've seen the death stares I got from some people! It was as if I'd committed a murder in front of them or something! I was so certain that someone was going to call the police…"

" _Although_ ," Frank chuckled, "Having said that, bitters is still technically alcohol!" he gave her a cheeky little wink.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, and their conversation became more and more like old times, "In the most minuscule of forms, Francis!"

"Here you go, Frank," Jack placed a beer on the table in front of him.

"Cheers, Jack," he smiled again, adding, "I can't tell you how good it is to have an Aussie beer on tap! Though, Venezuelan beer isn't all that bad."

"What was it like? Venezuela as a whole?" Jack asked, sitting back down next to Rachel.

"Oh, yeah, pretty good. The weather certainly took a bit of getting used to, that's for sure," he answered, "They only have one season over there, and it's called bloody humid! But you know, it was more about the journey for me. More about how I got there."

"And how was that?"

Frank grinned happily, "Excellent! I mean, there were times when the seas were so bloody rough that I thought I wasn't going to make it out alive. But that's all part of the fun of sailing, I guess!"

"Sounds a lot like sea sickness to me!" exclaimed Rachel, pulling a face.

Frank took a sip of his beer, "Well, working at the Water Police for seven years definitely prepared me a bit!" he paused, thinking it was about time that he changed the subject, "So… you two are having a baby, ey?" he tried not to sound bitter.

Rachel and Jack shared a quick glance. "Yeah," Jack then answered him bluntly, "Came as a bit of a surprise, but we certainly wouldn't change it!" he looked over at Rachel again, who was nodding in agreement.

"Frank!" came Mick's happy voice, seconds later.

At the sound of his name, Frank turned to his left, and saw both Mick and Helen standing next to the table, smiling down at him. He stood up, shook Mick's hand, and gave Helen a lengthy hug. "It's good to see you both!"

* * *

"- And _then_ I was charged with sexual harassment!" Mick's words were slurred, and he soon began to cackle, loudly, finally becoming aware of something that everybody else already knew, "Damn you, Frank… you've got me drunk again!"

"Oh no, I think you've managed to do that to yourself!" he chuckled in reply.

"Oh… maybe, yeah!"

It was late, close to midnight. The Cutter Bar had changed its closing time to a later hour, Frank noted. A couple of years ago, he would have been kicked out already. Frank glanced across the table at Rachel, who, he thought, was looking pretty exhausted. He then faced Jack, saying, "You should take her home, ey Jack?"

"Yes, I was just thinking that!" Jack answered, finishing the last mouthful of beer in his glass. "Come on, Rach," as they stood, Jack put his arm around her waist affectionately, "It's good to see you again, Frank."

"You too, Jack."

Rachel gave Frank a wave, and he watched them leave the pub, before turning back to Mick who leaned over the table and said to him in a hoarse whisper, "I think you missed your chance there, Frankie!" he sat back down in his chair, and winked in the direction that Rachel and Jack had headed.

"Huh?" a look of confusion flashed across Frank's face.

As Mick laughed, his head bobbed around uncontrollably, making him seem drunker than he was, "You missed your chance! With _Rachel_!" he garbled, laughing again, "I know I'm pretty wasted, but… even I can see that!"

Frank decided to let the drunken comment pass. Instead, he asked out of interest, "So, tell me about them, Mick. Rachel and Jack, how long have they been together?"

Mick blinked rapidly, frowning, "Hmm…" he took his time as he thought about the answer, "Ten months, maybe. I don't know exactly, I haven't been counting!"

"So… longer than the pregnancy then?"

He nodded. "I asked Jack once… I asked him how they ended up getting together, and he said that it happened after they were kidnapped… they were kidnapped by this absolute nutter of a guy, you see. He took them out bush, and hunted them like animals, like… like pigs!" Mick started to ramble as he explained, "And… well, after an experience like that… it brought them closer together I 'spose. Literally! Ha!" his laugh resembled that of Mrs Krabbappel's from _The Simpsons_.

"Right."

* * *

At home, Rachel finished brushing her hair, before climbing into bed next to Jack, who was already lying down, "You and Frank were very _nice_ to each other tonight, for a change," she told him, gently tapping two fingers on his chest.

"What are you talking about, Rach? Frank and I are always nice to each other!" Jack answered with a small grin on his face. He pulled her towards him ever so slightly, "I did mean it though. It _was_ good to see him again, in a weird kinda way. I've always thought that he'd never come back!"

"Yeah…"

"Are you happy that he's back?" he asked her, despite it being a relatively silly question as far as he was concerned.

Rachel nodded, "Of course," she rested her head on Jack's shoulder, near his collarbone. "Like you though, I didn't think he'd ever come back. I mean, what does he have here in Sydney? Not a whole lot. I'm sure that's why it was so easy for him to up and leave in the first place. I know there's no way I could leave the way he did, just like that," she clicked her fingers together.

"He's certainly got guts, there's no doubt about it!" Jack agreed, sighing as he began to feel the effects of a long day at work, coupled with alcohol, "Hey, you don't think Frank wants his old job back, do you?"

She lifted her head, and playfully whacked his chest with the back of her hand, "Don't be silly, Jack!"

"I guess if he _did_ end up wanting his job back…" Jack grinned again, rather mischievously this time, "He could always replace you when you go on maternity leave!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh, "Oh yeah, because that would go down _so_ well… three men sharing that little office!"

* * *

After leaving the Cutter Bar, Frank headed back to the marina, where he decided to stay for the night. 'Footloose' was currently a lot more cosy and inviting than his old home in The Rocks, especially given the fact that the house had been unoccupied for the past eighteen months. He shuddered to think what it would smell like after all this time.

Frank screwed up his face at the thought, "I hope I didn't forget to tip out the milk!" he said to himself, collapsing in a heap on his bed with a loud, tired groan. He closed his eyes and kicked off his shoes, not caring where on the floor they landed.

Soon enough, Frank was fast asleep, dreaming about his old life and wondering what things would have been like had he not gone to Venezuela.

* * *

The following morning, Frank made his way to the house in The Rocks, taking some of his new possessions with him. He unlocked the front door, and was immediately hit by a disgusting, musty old smell. The kind of smell that somehow manages to cling itself to everything. Frank quickly walked around the house, opening every window as wide as possible, hoping that fresh air would eventually get rid of the foul odour. The final room was the kitchen, and after he opened the window, his eyes were drawn to an empty bottle of wine on the counter.

It was the wine Rachel had brought over, the night before he left.

Frank sat down, sighing at the sight of the bottle. That night was so deeply etched in his brain that it had become an unforgiving, 'what if' kind of memory. Even more so now that he knew Rachel was contently sharing her life with Jack.

He shook his head at his disapproving thoughts, which were beginning to make him sound like such a bitter, middle-aged man. Why couldn't he just be glad that Rachel was happy? Why couldn't he simply accept that she was with Jack _and_ expecting a baby with him?

A knock at the front door soon distracted Frank from his thoughts.

"Hi Frank," Rachel said with a smile, once he had opened the door, "I wasn't sure where you moored your boat, so I thought this might be the next best place to come and find you."

"I'll warn you though, it _stinks_ in here!" he let her inside.

Rachel didn't even have to breathe in all that much before she smelt it, "Oh, yeah… wow, you're not wrong!"

They walked into the kitchen. Like Frank, Rachel immediately saw the empty bottle of wine sitting on the kitchen counter. A small smile formed on her face, "I can't believe this is still here!" she exclaimed, pointing to the bottle.

"Hmm."

She sat down on one of the bar stools, reflecting as she said, "We never did get a chance to talk about… that night. You know, before Mick showed up," she tried to somehow interpret the blank expression on his face, "Do you want to?"

"Oh, I don't think there's much point in us talking about it now," Frank told her, shaking his head, "I mean, you're with Jack, and you're having his baby -"

Rachel folded her arms across her chest, "Frank…" she interrupted, "I think you and I both know that even if something _had_ happened between us that night, it wouldn't have changed anything. You still would have left Sydney the next day!"

He looked at her quizzically, his eyes slightly narrow as he asked, "And what do you think _could_ have happened between us that night, Rachel?"

"Are you being serious right now?"

Frank's shoulders dropped as he let out a sigh, "Okay, okay, I know what could have happened had Mick not knocked on my front door. Okay? I _know_. You think it's easy for me to come back here and see you happy with _Jack Christey_ of all people? There's not been one fucking day when I haven't thought about that night. When I haven't thought about _you_."

Rachel sat in silence, her mouth slightly open, completely astounded by his words.

"I'm not saying that I wouldn't have left… but, it would have made leaving a lot harder than it already was."

* * *

An hour later, Rachel was sitting in her car, still reeling from Frank's honest admission. She had been absolutely sure that Frank's decision and ability to leave Sydney was so easy for him, that when he told her otherwise, she didn't know what to say or how to feel about it. Would she be with Jack right now if she knew exactly how Frank felt?

" _Shit_ …" Rachel said to herself, taking some slow, deep breaths in, "Don't be such an idiot, you _love_ Jack for God's sake."

* * *

Jack always knew that Frank had some kind feelings for Rachel, and vice versa. He also knew that nothing sexual ever occurred between the two, but there were many times when he couldn't help but wonder if either of them, Frank in particular, ever wanted something to happen. There were also times when, for one reason or another, Jack couldn't help but feel a little envious of Frank, but then he reminded himself that _he_ was the one who was with Rachel.

"Whatcha thinking about, Jack?" asked a slightly hungover Mick; there was a curious look on his face, "You look like you're about to explode or something!" he laughed, smacking his palm down onto his desk.

Jack blinked a couple of times, as if to snap himself out of his thoughts, "Nothing," he answered nonchalantly.

"Is it about Frank being back?"

"Eh?"

Mick repeated, firmly this time, " _Frank_."

Jack feigned confusion, asking, "Why on earth would I be thinking about Frank?"

"He and Rachel are pretty close," Mick said what Jack already knew, "I know I was only here for a week before Frank left, but it was something I picked up on right away!"

"What's your point, Mick?" Jack began to get a little fed up; not only had he been _thinking_ about Frank, he was now _talking_ about him.

"Nothing… I'm just saying -"

"Well, don't _just say_ , okay?" he made sure that was the end of the conversation.

"Jack…" Helen briskly entered the office, there was an extremely worried expression on her face, "I just got a weird call from Rachel, or at least, Rachel's _mobile_ …"

Just from the look on Helen's face, alarm bells had already started to go off in Jack's head, but as soon as he heard the words 'weird call' and 'Rachel', that's when the panic inside him really kicked in, "What do you mean?" he stood up, worriedly, "What did Rachel say?"

"That's the thing, it wasn't _actually_ Rachel on the phone… all I could hear was a man's voice in the background," Helen told him gently, wanting to calm him down as he was clearly getting more and more antsy, "He was yelling and carrying on, I don't know if it was at her or not. But then the line went dead."

In shock and not quite knowing what to do, Jack stood still, the only movement was of him breathing rapidly; he could feel heart pounding hard in his chest, "Where is she?"

"I don't know!"

"Well, shit, trace the call or _something_ , Helen! Come on!" he exclaimed frantically, his eyes full of fear, "This is _Rachel_ we're talking about here!"

* * *

 _To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Coming Home**_

* * *

A/N: I must apologise for the length of this chapter! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Please, just let me out…" Rachel pleaded with the armed man who had hijacked her in her car, "You can _have_ my car if that's what you want, I don't care! Just –"

"Do I look like I want your bloody car? Because I don't!" the man yelled at her angrily. "I don't know… I don't know," he then started repeating to himself, swaying back and forth in the driver's seat restlessly. The traffic lights about 100 metres in front of them turned red, but he sped through the intersection, causing several cars to come to a grinding halt.

The police negotiator in Rachel slowly made its way to the surface, and with as much composure as she could possibly muster in the situation, she asked, "What don't you know?"

"No! _You_ don't get to ask me any bloody questions, okay?" he said with a firm but somewhat panicky voice, as he waved the large kitchen knife in his hand towards her in a threatening manner, "I'm not answerin' any questions!"

"Alright," Rachel replied quietly, trying her best to keep both herself, _and_ the baby, calm. She looked out the window as they crossed the Anzac Bridge, wondering if the phone call she discreetly made when the man first attacked her, had actually reached anyone. For some reason, Rachel couldn't remember the last person she called, so she started to think that pressing the redial button may not have gone through to anyone. "My name is Rachel…" she broke the silence, and was about to say 'what's your name?' but then she shut her mouth, realising that it was a question.

The man glanced over at her; _really_ looking at her this time. It was only then that he noticed she was pregnant. He slammed his foot on the brakes, not caring about any other traffic around them. "Oh fucking hell!" he screamed, waving the knife around, cursing himself softly, "I chose to steal a bloody car with a bloody pregnant woman in it! Just my luck!"

* * *

"Maybe we should find Frank. He might know where Rachel is or _was_ , at least," Helen suggested, giving Jack a quick glance. She could tell by the look on Jack's face that he wasn't too keen on that idea. "It's her day off, Jack," she then tried her best to explain, "And he's been gone for close to two years… why wouldn't she go and see him now he's back?"

"Yeah, yeah… alright, alright," Jack gave in and sighed; he put his hands on his hips, "Can we try Rachel's mobile again? See if we can get a trace or whatever on it this time? _And_ -" Jack's voice was becoming more desperate as the seconds went by, "- Put a KALOF on her car… the number plate. V-J-L… ahh, 7-4-2. Maybe she's driving."

"Yes, I'll do that," Helen told him with a nod, "Now, you and Mick… the two of you should go around to Frank's house, yeah?" she advised, "I'm pretty sure it's still _his_."

"Okay. Let me know how you go with Rachel's phone _and_ car! If anything happens, I don't care what it is or how small it is, I want to hear about it!" Jack exclaimed to Helen, and then he hurried out the door with Mick in tow.

"She'll be fine, Jack," a positive sounding Mick attempted to reassure Jack as they got into the car, "You know Rachel, she's tough."

"And she's also five and a half months pregnant!"

* * *

Frank was trying to tidy up his house when there was a knock at the front door. He stood perfectly and silently still, wondering whether it was just annoying sales people, or whether it was Rachel again. The knocks got louder, more urgent, and then came a voice, saying, "Frank? Are you here?"

It was Jack's distinctive voice.

Frank answered the door, holding a multi-coloured feather duster upright in his hand. He was about to say something rather smartarse-like, but realised something was wrong by the way both Jack and Mick were looking at him. "What's going on?" he asked, frowning at the detectives.

"It's Rachel, have you seen her?" Jack said to him, visibly wired, "Helen got a strange phone call from her, well her mobile, about 40 minutes ago."

"Oh… well, I saw her a couple of hours ago, she was here with me at the house," Frank didn't really know what else to say, as he opened the door further as a silent offer to allow Jack and Mick to enter his house. "Why? What was the phone call about?" he questioned, starting to feel uneasy about Jack's own anxiousness.

"Helen said it was just a man yelling in the background. Do you know where Rachel was going after she left? Did she say anything?"

He shook his head, "No. I just assumed she was going home."

" _Shit_ ," Jack muttered to himself, looking over at Mick, "Okay, let's go, Mick. Thanks Frank."

"Hey no, wait. I'm coming with you!" Frank threw the feather duster onto the ground, and Jack shot him a 'get stuffed' kind of glare. "I really don't give a shit what you think, Jack," he said in response to the look he was given, "I _am_ coming with you. Rachel was my partner once, too, you know. Well before you came along. In case you've forgotten about that."

"The key word there is _was_ , Frank."

Frank wanted to ignore him, he really did, but he just couldn't let that snide remark go, "Doesn't mean I care about her less than you, Jack."

* * *

Still stationary on the Western Distributor, it was becoming more and more obvious to Rachel that the man had no idea what he was doing, and no idea what he wanted _to_ do. Drivers travelling past them were honking their horns, and yelling abuse from their windows; the car was parked in a dangerous position in the middle lane. "Maybe you should start driving again," Rachel advised, using a quiet tone, in hope that he would begin to see some sort of logic or reason, "This isn't a very good spot to be in..."

"Shut up! Just… shut up," his voice wasn't overly loud, or even all that angry. He was breathing heavily in and out through his nose, almost as if he was contemplating the mess he found himself in. "Okay… okay… we'll go," he put his foot down hard on the accelerator and took off at a screeching speed.

It was then that Rachel's phone, which was in her jacket pocket, started to ring. She felt her heart skip a few beats, unsure of how he was going to react.

"Don't you even _think_ about answering that phone!" he yelled at her, his eyes enraged. "Give it here," he then said in a relatively normal voice.

Reluctantly, Rachel handed him her phone.

The man grabbed the phone from her hand and jerked the car to the left lane, taking one of the exits off the freeway. He then parked the car on a quiet side street, finally appearing to have some sort of idea about what he was doing. He put her phone, which was still ringing, in his pocket, got out of the car, and walked around to the passenger side door, "Get out," he told Rachel, clutching the knife in one hand.

She did as he said, not wanting to get herself into any more trouble than she was already.

He pushed Rachel towards the back of the car, opening the boot, "In," he commanded, looking around nervously as he motioned for her to get into the boot. When she hesitated, he took a menacing step closer to her, "Get in, or I'll find a reason to hurt you _and_ your frigging baby."

* * *

"Copy that," Donna said into the radio. She turned to Helen, who had come down the stairs to the reception area. "Glebe police have been answering a few phone calls about an erratic driver seen on the A4 not too long ago, near Pyrmont," she said, looking down at what she had written on a notepad, "No definite confirmation of the car model, but the colour was either dark blue or black. And one caller was able to get a partial rego. V-J-L. The Sergeant told me that he was going to get some officers to check the area out."

"Have you let Jack know?" Helen asked her, frowning, "That sounds like it _could_ be Rachel's car."

Donna shook her head, "Not yet, no."

"Okay, well, I'll ring Jack," Helen replied in an authoritarian tone of voice, "I know you're rostered on for boat duties for the rest of the day, but I'd like you to stay down here for now, Donna. If anything else comes in, let me know."

"Yes, Sarge."

Helen quickly made her way back upstairs to her office, deciding to call Jack's mobile from there in private. "Jack, does Rachel's number plate have the letters V, J and L on it?" she wanted to confirm with him.

"Yes. Why?"

"Glebe police have apparently been getting some phone calls about an erratic driver on the M4 near Pyrmont. The rego starts with V-J-L," Helen answered.

In the car, Jack looked over at Mick, who was driving. "Well, we're almost at the station, but we could head back that way –"

"They have sent some officers to check out the area, Jack," said Helen, thinking that the car could be long gone by now, "And we don't even know if it was _Rachel_ in the car. I doubt she'd be the one driving erratically. Perhaps it was stolen, and she's on foot somewhere."

"How'd you go with the trace? Have you tried Rachel's mobile again?" he asked in quick succession.

"We are only able trace a call properly once it's been answered, unfortunately. So for now, they can only get a general location of the phone, and even though it's not exactly accurate _or_ up to date, I've got them to do it," Helen told him, "And yes, I have been trying to call, but so far, all the calls just go to Rachel's message bank. How did it go with Frank?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder, briefly looking at Frank who was sitting in the back seat, "Rachel had been there, and Frank said he assumed that she was going home after she left. He's with Mick and I now."

"Maybe we should go to your house, Jack? Check it out?" Mick suggested, despite being unable to hear the entire conversation, "You never know…" he raised his eyebrows.

Jack tilted his head back, wondering why he hadn't thought of that idea, "Did you hear that, Helen?"

"Yes I did," she answered, pausing for a moment, "Look, I _do_ think that is a good idea. But, Jack… I also think that it may be a good idea if you stay at home once you get there. If Rachel isn't there, there's still a chance that she _could_ turn up at home at some point, and it would be good if you were there if or when she does. You said Frank's with you… I'm sure he won't mind hel-"

"Oh, shit no, I don't think so Helen," Jack interrupted, scoffing at her last suggestion.

* * *

Lying on her back in the darkness of the boot of her own car, Rachel unconsciously began to think about the other times when she had been trapped in the boot of a car. The last time, she was with Jack, and for some reason, Rachel felt a lot safer in the situation with him than she did now. Perhaps it was because she was with him, and not by herself. She could also tell that the man driving her car was speeding, and began to worry about what might happen if he were to lose control and crash. His behaviour had been quite unpredictable, and that, to Rachel, made him even more dangerous.

Rachel then heard a phone ringing in the distance, _her_ phone, followed by the man swearing angrily. She felt the car accelerate even more, and used her hands to brace herself, thinking that the car might crash at any moment.

* * *

Helen expected the defensive reaction she got from Jack when she tried to suggest that he stay at home while Frank helped Mick in the search for Rachel. Jack and Frank's dislike for each other couldn't be more obvious if they tried. But, it was their love for Rachel, whilst different _types_ of love, which also seemed to fuel their mutual dislike.

"Helen," Mick knocked on the door frame, before poking his head into her office. "Rachel wasn't home," he told her dejectedly, "Jack is still there now… _but_ I don't know how long he will sit at home and wait. He was pretty pissed off when we left."

"Okay," she answered softly, nodding at him, "Is Frank here?"

"Yep."

Helen got up, following Mick as he walked back to the detective's office, where she saw Frank sitting at Rachel's desk. She gave him a warm smile, telling him, "You still look at home in this office, you know, Frank."

Frank rolled his eyes, but returned the smile, "Yeah, thanks. I think."

"Helen?" Donna appeared in the doorway to the detective's office, "That trace on Rachel's mobile you requested… it's been completed. The last location they were able to get from the phone was in the Kirribilli area."

"Thanks, Donna."

"Kirribilli?" Mick then wondered out loud, as Donna walked back the way she came, "If Rachel's phone _is_ in her car, and the car was somewhere in or around Kirribilli, it means that whoever is driving would have had to use a toll road to get there from Pyrmont in such a short amount of time. Meaning either the bridge or the tunnel."

"Good thinking, Mick. I'll get on to the RTA," Helen scampered out of the office.

Frank looked over at Mick, "What happened to Tayler?" he asked curiously, a frown formed on his face, "Is she still here?"

"She transferred to PolAir late last year."

* * *

Sitting at home on his bum doing nothing was never really Jack's style. _Especially_ when Rachel was involved. "Bugger it," he said to himself, and he ran out the house as quickly as he could, dialling Rachel's mobile number as he got to his car. "Come on, come on, Rach. Pick up… Come on."

"Yes?" came a man's voice after a few rings.

Not only Jack was surprised that the call was finally answered, but even more soby the fact that it was a man talking on the other end of the line. "Ah… who am I speaking to?" he asked, starting to feel extremely anxious for Rachel's safety.

"None of your business," he replied nonchalantly. There was a short pause; Jack could hear the distinct sound of a car's engine running, as well as traffic in the background. "Who is this?" the man then demanded, as if he _deserved_ to know.

"Detective Sergeant Jack Christey."

"A cop?" it was now the man who was surprised, "How did you get this number?" he asked naively.

Jack was about to start his car and drive away, but the question stopped him for a moment, "You have my partner's phone. _Now_ -" his voice was decidedly firm, and somewhat angry as he demanded to know, "Where is she?"

"Oh… the pregnant woman? She's your partner, is she?" the man's composed responses and the sing-song tone of his voice began to irritate Jack. "She's here with me, albeit in the boot. But don't worry, she's okay. I don't hurt pregnant women… well, unless they piss me off of course."

Jack started his car, pulled away from the curb, and sped off down the road. He didn't care that he was talking on his phone whilst driving, "Look… just… _please_ let Rachel go, okay?" there was a hint of desperation in the way he spoke, "Whatever you want, I'm sure she has nothing to do with it. Just let her go. Do the right thing."

"But I can't let her go now, can I?" the man replied, "I'm up shit creek without a paddle."

Jack was fuming, threatening, "You definitely _will_ be up shit creek if you don't let her go."

* * *

Nearly fifteen minutes later, a crazed Jack arrived at work, ran up the stairs and to the detective's office, which was empty. He frowned, and then made his way to Helen's office. "Jack," she said upon seeing him standing in the doorway, "I've been trying to call you."

"Yeah… I've been talking on the phone," he told her, folding his arms across his chest, "I tried calling Rachel's mobile, and a man answered her phone, Helen. A _man_."

Helen nodded; she already knew about the man. " _That's_ one of the reasons why I've been trying to call you. The RTA sent me through some photos from security cameras on the Harbour Bridge. The photos show Rachel's car travelling northbound. A worker at one of the toll booths said the car was occupied by a man. A man only. They didn't see anyone else in the car."

"That's because Rachel is in the boot," he replied, deadpan, "Where's Mick?"

"Well, that is yet another reason why I have been trying to ring you. A phone call came in from the Mosman police, one of their squad cars thinks they saw Rachel's car in Neutral Bay not that long ago. Mick and Frank just left about… oh, five to ten minutes ago now," Helen informed him, "I've sent the Nemesis crew around to Mosman to check the area out as well."

With that information, Jack seemed to spring into action, "Okay, can you let Mick know I'm on my way there? Thanks Helen," he didn't give her a chance to reply to him as he turned around and ran back down the corridor.

"Yeah, no worries, Jack," Helen then said to herself with a quiet sigh, and she picked up her phone to call Mick.

* * *

Rachel felt the car finally come to some sort of stop. She wondered whether it was for traffic lights, traffic itself or whether the man had decided to park the car somewhere. She didn't have to wonder too long; she heard a click, and the boot opened. Rachel sat up a little, squinting as she was hit by light for the first time in a while. When her eyes adjusted, she saw the man smiling down at her, holding the knife in his hand.

"Out you get," he said to her, sounding disturbingly happy.

Rachel got out slowly. Standing on the ground, her feet were slightly unsteady and she felt dizzy. She tried to focus her eyes on the ground, hoping that it would stop her head from feeling as though it was spinning around.

The man took hold of her arm, noticing that she was swaying from side to side. When he let go of her arm, he told her about his conversation with Jack, "I spoke to your partner earlier. The cop? He wanted me to let you go. He sounded pretty agro!"

"Can you blame him?" Rachel replied, looking around, instantly recognising that they were at the Middle Head forts in Mosman.

"Hmm," was all the man said at first. He then grabbed her arm again, roughly this time, and pulled her with him down one of the many paths. "But… I told him I don't hurt pregnant women," he paused, glancing over at her, "Unless they piss me off," the man paused again, "Luckily for you, you haven't!"

"Why can't you let me go then?"

"Hm, well, your partner asked me that too! And, as I said to him, I think it's a bit late for that now, don't you, _Rachel_?" he asked, as they neared one of the underground tunnels. "I'm in _heaps_ of trouble already. Stealing a car with a pregnant woman inside, running through red lights like there's no tomorrow… speeding…" he listed his offences, seeming to be a little proud of them.

Rachel frowned, disapprovingly, at his last sentence, "It sounds like you _like_ being in trouble."

The man cackled hysterically, throwing his head back at the same time.

"I need to pee," she then told him, to which he stopped laughing abruptly.

With a one-sided smile on his face, the man then looked over at her, "Well. It looks like you'll just have to go here, won't you?" he mocked.

* * *

Driving in Mosman, Jack bemoaned the fact that he was in his own stupid car. At least with a police car, he could have put the siren on and got away with speeding past all of the cars in front of him. Instead, Jack was stuck in traffic near the Spit Bridge with nowhere to go, feeling the fury within himself growing stronger as the seconds ticked by. When he found the guy who had Rachel, Jack was going to smash him into oblivion; he didn't care if it got him into trouble, he wanted to make the man to pay.

Mick and Frank, meanwhile, were both beginning to think that all they were doing was aimlessly driving around in circles. "What a great thing for you to come home to, hey Frank?" asked Mick, not hiding his sarcasm.

"This isn't anything like what I imagined it would be, no," Frank answered, looking out the window at all the familiar landmarks. He sighed; _none_ of this was like he had imagined. Part of him wished that some of the things he came back to were a dream.

"VKG Sydney Water Police to Water Police 200," Donna's voice came through the radio.

Even though he wasn't 'officially' working, Frank picked up the radio and said into the receiver, "Go ahead Sydney Water Police," he glanced over at Mick, releasing the button on the radio, "Geez, it's been ages since I've said that!"

"PolAir have spotted a dark blue car parked illegally at the Middle Head fortifications," Donna said to them, "They can't see the rego obviously… so, do you think you could check it out?"

"Copy that," Frank answered, feeling like a detective once again, all that was missing was his suit and tie, "Let's go," he said to Mick.

Mick made sure there were no cars behind them as he hit the brakes, and did a U-turn, "Do you wanna whack the light on, Frank?" he grinned.

"It would be a great pleasure!" Frank exclaimed, reaching his hand out the window to put the light the top of the car. The siren began to blare loudly. "I think we should call Jack, ey? If it _is_ Rachel's car at the forts, he'll definitely want to know about it."

* * *

At the Middle Head forts, the man tied Rachel up to some railing using the only thing he could think of: his tie. "If you make any kind of move, if you try to escape, I _will_ kill you," he threatened, using the knife to show that he wasn't joking around.

Cowering on the cold, hard concrete, Rachel nodded, understanding that his threat was serious. She glanced up at the sky, noticing that dark clouds were building across the horizon and the sun was beginning to set. Rachel then looked back over at the man, who once again, seemed as though he had no idea what he wanted to do. As she stared at him, Rachel couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, despite the ordeal he was putting her through.

The man felt Rachel's eyes on him, and he looked over at her, stooping down so that their faces were level with one another. "This partner of yours, the cop…" he began, "Is he the father of the baby kind of partner, or is he a business or work kind of partner?"

"Um... both."

He raised one eyebrow, inquisitively. It took him a few moments to realise what that meant. He began to nod, as he understood, "So, you're a cop as well… are you?" the man then questioned, with a slightly nervous voice.

"Yes," Rachel whispered a reply, wondering how he was going to react.

All the man did, at first, was slowly nod again. He then appeared to lose control; the knife in his hand shook violently, and he backed away. " _Shit_!" was all he exclaimed as he continued to back away, little by little. Rachel watched him, anxious by his actions. She went to stand up, but upon seeing her about to get to her feet, the man walked towards her. He grabbed her jacket by the collar, pulling her towards him, "I've definitely got nothing to lose now, have I?" the knife was extremely close to her neck.

"Drop the knife and step away!" came Mick's loud voice from somewhere close by. Rachel felt herself relax and she breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar sound of his voice.

The man, on the other hand, froze tensely. His grip on the knife tightened.

"I said _drop the knife_ ," Mick repeated, firmer this time.

Rachel finally saw Mick, along with Frank, in her line of sight.

Still looking at Rachel, the man straightened his posture and stood up. Just as it seemed like he was going to cooperate with Mick, he took off in a panic. Not wanting to shoot the man, Mick ran after him, yelling, "Stop!" a number of times.

Frank ran towards Rachel, who was trying to untie herself with her free hand. "Here, Rachel, let me do that," he told her, undoing the tie that was knotted around her wrist. "Are you alright?" he then asked her, pushing some hair off her face.

Rachel nodded, breathing heavily, "Yes, thanks Frank," she said gratefully, as he helped her stand up.

"Jack shouldn't be too far behind," Frank said, clearly concerned for her wellbeing. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her again, and he put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm fine, thanks Frank," she flashed him an appreciative smile. "Just a bit shaken, I think."

"You had everyone very worried there. Especially Jack and I."

Despite everything that had happened to her that day, Rachel still managed to laugh a little, "Yeah, sorry about that."

The next three quiet words that came out of Frank's mouth, not only surprised Frank himself, but Rachel as well. Jack, who had just arrived and was standing about ten metres away, heard what Frank said and interrupted the silence that followed. "Get out the way, Frank."

Giving Jack and Rachel some room, Frank took several tentative steps back, cursing himself on the inside. He heard Jack ask Rachel if she was okay, before deciding to go and make sure Mick was alright.

* * *

It wasn't very often that Jack completely lost his temper, but on this particular occasion, Frank had overstepped the mark. Frank could see that Jack was angered by the events of the previous day, and tried his best to calm him down, "Look… Jack –" he began, but didn't get a chance to say anything else because Jack took an intimidating step towards him, almost as if he was going to clobber him.

"Do you need reminding that _I_ am with Rachel?" Jack roared in question; his soft blue eyes were unusually hard and cold as they focused firmly on Frank. "You can't just come back here after all this fucking time and expect things to be exactly as they were before you left!"

"That's not –"

Jack raised one hand, his palm facing Frank, "I am _really_ not in the mood to hear what you have to say, Frank," he forced himself to walk away, to prevent him from doing something regretful.

Frank stood still, taking in some shallow breaths, as he watched Jack leave. Part of him then began to lament coming home to Sydney. Perhaps, he thought with a lot of sadness, things would have been better if he stayed in Caracas, and lived out the rest of his days there.

* * *

"I thought you were going to clock him at one point!" Rachel told Jack emphatically. She could see that he was still pissed off; he was pacing the room like a cat on the prowl. "You do know that Frank only said what he said in the heat of the moment. It's not like he meant it or anything…"

Jack gave her a 'yeah right' look, tilting his head slightly to one side, "Oh, he meant it alright. The heat of the moment is usually when people tell the truth, Rach!"

Rachel thought about it, and her eyebrows formed a frown. "Okay. Maybe he _did_ mean it," she eventually admitted, rubbing her stomach as she felt the baby kick a few times. "But, the way he feels is not the same as the way you do. It's very different."

The expression on Jack's face stayed the same, however, he didn't say anything else. Instead, he walked closer to her, and with an outstretched hand, touched her stomach. He kept his hand there, waiting for any kind of movement from the baby. Rachel smiled at him, happy that he had calmed down, at least for the moment. She put her hand on top of his.

After feeling the baby kick several times, Jack took Rachel's hand and held onto it tightly. He looked into her eyes, asking, "Can I ask you something, Rach?"

"Sure."

He hesitated, clearly feeling uneasy about what he was going to ask, but soon said with a slight tremble in his voice, "Would you have gone with Frank if he had asked you?" Jack wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

Rachel glared at him with a frown on her face. She remained tight-lipped; she had no idea how to respond.

As if out of realisation, Jack let go of her hand, took a step back and nodded slowly. "Frank _did_ want you to go away with him, didn't he?" he sat down, wondering why he had been so naïve, so blind, when it came to Frank and Rachel's relationship. "Have I just been like a second fiddle to you?" the anger and hurt that resided within Jack began to show again, "Can't have Frank, so I'll have to settle for Jack instead? Is that it?"

"What? _No_!" she exclaimed loudly, ridiculing his suggestion, "Why the hell would you even think something like that, let along say it!"

"Oh geez, I don't know. Perhaps because yesterday, Frank Holloway told you that he loves you," Jack's voice oozed with sarcasm. He had managed to avoid glancing at Rachel until that point, but finally built up the courage to look at her. Her eyes were fixed on him; he thought she was either about to cry or yell. Or both. Jack immediately wanted to apologise for snapping at her, for being irrational, "Rach," he began, softly this time, "I –"

"Jack. Let's just forget it, okay?" Rachel sounded hurt. She walked away from him and entered another room. The door slowly shut behind her, and Jack was left sitting on a chair in silence, ruing what he had said.

* * *

At the station, Mick finished interviewing the man who had kidnapped Rachel, finally identified as Jonathon Farmer, and he was taken away to the Sydney Police Centre to be charged with numerous offences. Frank was waiting out in the corridor, anxious to hear what was happening, "What did he say?" he asked, as soon as Mick appeared from the interview room.

"Oh, not a whole lot," Mick informed Frank, placing one hand on his hip, "It seems like he only wanted to steal someone's car for the day so that he could get a bit of a buzz out of it or something. And it just spiralled out of control with Rachel there."

"You're telling me!"

Mick leaned back against the wall, his eyes darted around before gazing over at Frank. "How are you doing?" he asked, knowing about all the drama that had gone on between Frank, Jack and Rachel the previous day.

"Yeah, fine," Frank replied laconically, not giving much away. He patted the side of Mick's shoulder in gratitude, "Anyway, nice work these last couple of days, Mick. I'd better go. Catchya later," Frank then trudged down the hallway, under the close and watchful eye of Mick. He waited until Frank was out of sight before heading back into the office.

He had only been sitting down for about ten minutes when Jack arrived. Mick glanced up from his desk at the sound of footsteps, "What are you doing here, Jack?" he asked with a frown, hoping that Jack hadn't passed Frank on the way in. "I thought you'd be staying at home today."

"Nah," Jack answered, he was almost as curt as Frank, "You know me, Mick," he then said, "Can't sit still for long enough."

"Is everything okay between you and Rachel?" Mick was almost too afraid to ask.

Jack, sitting down, decided to answer the question honestly. "It's a bit… strained," his voice was distant and his eyes displayed sadness. "You heard what Frank said to Rachel, right? I mean, how the hell am I supposed to feel about that? Besides pissed off that is."

"Understandably so, Jack," Mick was empathetic, nodding a few times, "But I don't think Frank meant it in the way you think, though."

Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes, "That is pretty much what Rachel said," he answered, sighing as he recalled the conversation with her. "It still doesn't change the fact that I am… angry."

Mick frowned, asking in a low and quiet voice, "Are you angry at Frank or angry at Rachel?"

"Frank."

* * *

By herself at home, Rachel was talking to the baby, apologising for being so stressed out, "Everything is going to be okay," she patted her stomach, looking down at it, "Your dad is just… well, he's just a bit upset at the moment, that's all. He'll calm down soon –"

Her voice was interrupted by loud, persistent knocks at the door. She got up, "Who is it?" she wondered, standing a few metres from the door.

"It's Frank."

Rachel opened the door, "I should have guessed it was you, Frank," she told him with a small but cheeky grin on her face, remembering what he once said to her, "You've got a knock like a policeman."

After a brief chuckle, the smile vanished from Frank's face. "Can I come in?" he asked seriously.

"Sure," she answered with a nod, as she stood aside, allowing him to step inside the house. Once Rachel had closed the door, they walked down the hallway and into the lounge room. "Would you like a drink?" offered Rachel, her eyebrows raised.

"No thanks," Frank replied, shaking his head. "I won't keep you too long," he said, sitting down as Rachel did the same. "I wanted you to know that I am going to go back to Venezuela…" Frank saw a shocked look appear on Rachel's face, "It's just better if I go, Rachel," he continued, trying to justify, out loud, his reasons for leaving again.

"What? Hang on, why?" she asked, dumbfounded, "You only got back a few days ago!"

Frank merely shrugged.

"If this is about Jack and everything… don't leave because of him, he'll get over it," Rachel said, leaning forward a little. She winced at the movement. "He _will_ settle down, he just needs a bit of time," she added, ignoring the pain she was feeling.

"Are you okay?" Frank saw the pained expression on her face.

Rachel nodded, feeling as though it would be better to lie to him, "I'm fine. Just a bit of a twinge."

"You sure?"

She nodded again, making sure it didn't look like she was just fobbing him off. "Really, Frank, I'm fine. I think you're just trying to change the subject!" Rachel wiggled an index finger at him, "I don't want you to leave."

Frank smiled, appreciating her honesty. But, honesty was not enough. He couldn't stay there, knowing that the woman he loved was in love with another man; and, knowing that _that_ man now knew the truth about how Frank felt. "I have to," he eventually answered, having thought about things for a bit too long, "You'll be better off without me here –"

Rachel scoffed.

"You've been alright this past year and a half, haven't you?" he asked in response to her scoff.

She glared at him, wondering if there was something he was refusing to tell her. "I never thought you'd come back, Frank!" she exclaimed, her voice more high-pitched than usual. "And now you are, you're suddenly saying that you're leaving again!" Rachel slapped her hands on her legs in exasperation. She felt the baby twist and turn inside her.

Similarly to when Frank had asked Rachel to go with him and she turned him down, he didn't know what to say. "I gotta go," was all that came out of his mouth as he got up and turned around to leave. Frank had only managed to get to the start of the hallway when Rachel took hold of his arm, stopping him where he stood.

"Why did you tell me how you feel if you were just going to go again?" Rachel questioned him, her voice firm. She still had hold of his arm. "I don't understand…"

Frank let out a sigh, "I don't know," he told her truthfully, "I don't quite understand any of it myself."

"Well… can you at least _try_ to understand?!" Rachel demanded, her face and eyes desperate for answers. She finally let go of his arm, and quietly said, "You can work things out with Jack… you _can_."

He shook his head, "I'd like to work things out with Jack, Rachel, really. But I don't think he would," Frank turned around quickly, leaving before Rachel could say or do anything else to stop him.

* * *

"He's leaving again," Rachel said upon hearing Jack as he arrived home later that evening. She was sitting on the couch in darkness, and when Jack flicked on the lights, she squinted as her eyes took their time to adjust to the light.

"Rach, why were you sitting in the dark?" he tossed his keys onto the kitchen bench, and then turned to face her. "Frank's leaving again?" he said in question when Rachel had not answered.

She nodded, telling him softly, "That's what he told me."

Vacillating, Jack ran a hand over his forehead, unsure of what to say in reply. He walked towards the couch, staring down at her. "Come on, I think you should go to bed," with a kind smile on his face, he held out his hand, "You look tired," Jack waited until Rachel took hold of his hand, before gently pulling her up off the couch.

Together, they made their way upstairs, still holding hands.

"I felt the baby kicking a lot earlier today," Rachel casually said to Jack, stopping as they reached doorway of their bedroom, "It was quite painful actually," she then added, screwing up her face as she thought about the pain she had been in while Frank was there.

"Wait, what?" Jack was very surprised. When he looked across at her, his entire body was completely still. "Why didn't you call me?" he wanted to know, "I would have come back home right away!"

Rachel sat down on the bed, sighing as she struggled to explain what happened, "Because it was nothing… just… the baby kicking a little harder than usual. That's all."

He shook his head, showing how much he disapproved. "No, Rachel. Next time that happens, and I'm not here, I want you to _phone_ me. It doesn't matter how small you think it is, if you're in pain, you need to tell me," Jack sat down next to Rachel, who was only nodding. Concerned, he then asked, "Do you need to see the doctor?"

"No, it's fine now. I think it was just… stress."

* * *

Through annoyance with himself more than anything, Frank had already packed up some of his belongings from his house and taken it back to the boat. He was annoyed at himself for telling Rachel the truth about how he felt about her. For years Frank had kept his feelings to himself, why did he have to say it to her now, he wondered, shaking his head.

"Idiot."

Frank thought about leaving for Venezuela right there and then, but decided to wait until the morning. As he got ready for bed, an all too familiar voice echoed down into the cabin, "Frank? Are you here?"

He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, Jack," Frank eventually answered, reluctantly. He then heard Jack's footsteps get closer, and within moments, Jack was standing at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at Frank.

"Rachel tells me that you're thinking about leaving again," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Not _thinking_ about leaving, mate. I _am_ leaving," Frank corrected him. "In the morning sometime."

Jack frowned as he asked, "Tomorrow morning?"

"Yep."

The frown remained on Jack's face, "Dare I ask why?"

Frank gazed up towards the ceiling. He sighed, letting Jack know that he was irritated. "I'm pretty sure you know why."

"So you're taking the cowards way out, is that it?" Jack questioned, taking one step forward, "I never thought that was you, Frank."

Frank began to get even more fed up, "If the only reason you've come here is to have a go at me, I think you should leave, Jack. I don't feel like listening to your shit, okay?"

"I've come here for _Rachel_!" he exclaimed loudly, he too now getting fed up, "Do you think she wants you to leave Sydney again, especially when you've only just got back? No, she doesn't," Jack paused to catch his breath, "If I didn't know Rachel any better, I'd say she was in love with you too, Frank."

Frank's eyes turned to Jack, who was shaking his head. He watched him turn around. "It doesn't matter how Rachel feels about me because it's not the same!" Frank said when Jack was halfway up the stairs, "She loves _you_."

Jack stopped momentarily, thinking about Frank's words, but then continued to walk up the stairs without saying anything else.

Frank rolled his eyes, and flopped himself down on his bed. "Stubborn bastard."

* * *

 _To be continued in a third and final chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Coming Home**_

* * *

A/N: I may do a short 'epilogue' type chapter for this, but for now, here is the end! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The following morning, Frank made sure that he was out of bed as early as possible. Despite his feelings for Rachel, he really didn't want to see her before he left. Seeing Rachel would only make everything worse; it would only stir up emotions he didn't want to feel. Frank checked over his boat one last time, making sure it was ready for the long journey back to Venezuela. After heading up the cabin stairs, he stood on the deck, his hands on his hips as he looked around.

"Did you think you could leave without saying goodbye to me?"

At the sound of her voice, Frank spun around on his heels and saw Rachel standing on the wharf. She too had her hands on her hips, quite obviously unhappy with him. Frank struggled to find the right words to say. "Rachel… I –"

Her sad, blue eyes pierced through him like a sharp knife.

"I didn't want to make things harder than they already were," he finally muttered, attempting to avoid her steely gaze. "You've got Jack, and a baby on the way. You know, you don't need me here, Rachel," Frank gave up and shrugged. He knew she wanted an explanation from him, and a resolute one at that. But, he just couldn't give it to her. His reasons sounded a lot better in his head.

"Oh come on!" Rachel exclaimed in disbelief, moving towards the boat, "Ergh! That is the biggest load of bullshit Frank! I didn't want you to leave in the first place! I _hated_ it when you left!" she could feel herself getting worked up, and she wasn't sure if it was Frank's 'reasons' for leaving or her hormones that were doing it. "One day you're at work, and everything's relatively normal, then the next day you tell me that you're going to sail to bloody Venezuela!"

Frank watched her closely, he could tell that she was rather anxious. Wanting to calm her down, he said gently, "Come on board and have a seat. I'll make you a cup of tea."

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes at him, "Frank, if you think you can just change the subject –" she began, but he held up his hand to interrupt her.

"I just want you to relax, that's all," as she walked towards him, he held out his hand to help her onto the boat, "Stressing out the way you are can't be good for the baby. _Or_ you!"

Sitting down in the cabin, Rachel shot him a glare, but knew that he was right. Frank Holloway always had to be right. She watched him put the kettle on to boil. Frank looked over at her when he could feel her eyes on him, "Rachel," he started to say, "You get why I have to go again, right? I mean, it's just easier on everyone. You, Jack… me," Frank let out a sigh, as the kettle clicked off, "Look what's gone on these past couple of days. You were kidnapped in your own car for God's sake! There's no way that would have happened if I wasn't here…"

Rachel frowned.

Feeling he had to explain what he meant, Frank said, "If I wasn't here, you wouldn't have been at my place that day! Meaning, you wouldn't have been kidnapped!" he put a cup of tea down in front of her. "Then all the other shit that followed… well, none of that would've happened either!"

She took a sip of her tea, and closed her eyes for a moment, "Do you regret telling me?" she opened her eyes and saw that he had sat down directly opposite her. "Do you regret telling me how you feel?"

Frank sat back in the chair, thinking his reply through, "No. No, I don't."

A little staggered by his answer, Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"But anyway, even if I didn't say it, I think you _know_ how I feel about you," he continued, looking her straight in the eye, "I didn't want you to come away with me for no reason, you know. Although… none of that matters now. It's all in the past, and that's where it should stay. You love Jack and he loves you. _That_ is what matters!"

* * *

Trying to pretend it was an ordinary day just like any other, Jack made his way to work without Rachel. He knew that she wanted the chance to say goodbye to Frank. If anything, Jack thought that by saying goodbye to Frank, it would at least give Rachel some kind of closure.

Feeling a little weary, he ambled up the stairs without watching where he was going, and bumped into Jeff when he reached the top. "Sorry, Jeff," Jack said, holding up both hands.

"It's okay, Jack," came Jeff's quick reply as they made their way down the corridor, "How's Rachel?"

"Oh yeah, she's pretty good," Jack answered, stopping as they reached the detective's office, "She'll be in a bit later."

"No worries," Jeff continued to walk to his own office, calling out as he got further away, "You and Mick can deal with that ferry mishap from this morning!"

Although Jack knew he would probably be getting back up again very soon, he sat down at his desk, "Ferry mishap?" he asked Mick, looking puzzled, "Geez, how late am I?"

Mick turned around in his chair to face him, "Not late at all, Jack. I've only been here for about five minutes myself. And the incident on the ferry happened, oh less than an hour ago. Helen told me when I arrived that Tommy and Gavin, along with a few officers from Balmain, have taken some statements, but that's all so far. Helen wants us to interview the ferry captain as soon as possible."

"So, what actually happened?"

"From what I understand," Mick stood up, grabbed his jacket from his chair and put it on, "There was a brawl between some passengers just as the ferry left Balmain. One passenger is in a critical condition in hospital, and one of them is dead."

Jack followed suit, "Right, let's go then."

* * *

"Is there _nothing_ I can do to change your mind?" Rachel wanted to know, watching Frank as he pottered around the boat's cabin, making sure everything was in working order. "There must be something!" she added in exclamation, raising her eyebrows. Frank stopped moving; he looked over at her. "What do I have to do, hm?" she asked, standing up, "Chain myself to this frigging boat?"

He let out a quick laugh at her idea, "Now that would be silly, wouldn't it Rachel?"

"And you leaving like this isn't _silly_?" she retorted, staring at him.

Frank just shook his head, "No, it's not silly at all, Rachel," he answered, still shaking his head, "It's the only logical thing for me to do in this situation."

" _Logical_?" Rachel's eyes narrowed, "You think this, leaving like this, is logical?" she questioned, putting one hand on her hip.

Frank, upon hearing the slightest amount of disdain in Rachel's voice, decided there was nothing else he could say that would make her understand his reasons. He walked over to her, and put his hands on the side of her arms as if to comfort her. "I want to stay, I do, but… I just… can't," Frank managed to say, watching as a solitary tear ran down Rachel's cheek, "You'll be alright!"

Her reply was as quiet as a mouse, "I know."

"I'll leave tomorrow! How about that?" Frank soon said enthusiastically, hoping that the suggestion would somehow cheer her up, but she only rolled her eyes, knowing what he was trying to do. "I will, I'll leave tomorrow morning!" he paused thoughtfully, "I should go and say goodbye to Helen before I go anyway, and I wouldn't really be able to do that if I left Sydney right now."

"Promise?" Rachel asked him, looking him directly into his blue-grey eyes, "You have to promise me that when I leave here, you're not just going to pack up your things and go."

"I promise, Rachel."

* * *

After seeing Frank, Rachel drove to work, still thinking about everything that had happened. Despite Frank's promise of not leaving until tomorrow, and the truthful look in his eyes when he said it, she wasn't sure if he really meant it. Would she go to the marina tomorrow morning and find that Frank and his boat were already gone? Rachel sighed as she parked her car. She sat for a moment, tapping the steering wheel with one finger. So deep in thought, Rachel hadn't even noticed that a car had pulled up next to hers.

"How long have you been here, Rach?" came Jack's voice, loud enough for her to hear through the closed window.

Rachel was so surprised that she flinched at the sound.

Jack opened her car door, "Sorry," he said sheepishly, realising that he had startled her a little.

She shook her head as she got out of the car, "Oh, no, it's alright. Where have you and Mick been?"

Jack shut the car door when Rachel had stepped aside, "There was a death on board a ferry this morning. You may have heard?" he told her, seeing her nod, "Mick and I have just interviewed the ferry captain, and a few witnesses, all informally at this stage. The captain is going to come in for another chat later on today," Jack paused; it was only when they started to walk down the path, that he asked, "How was Frank? Did you say goodbye him?"

Rachel shook her head. She stopped and waited for Jack to turn around and walk back to her. They stood facing each other, and Rachel shook her head again. "He's decided to leave tomorrow morning," she explained, watching the expression on Jack's face change, "I'm still not sure whether I believe him or not. Part of me thinks that I'll go there to see him off tomorrow, and he'll already be gone."

Jack was the one now shaking his head. He took hold of her hand and she smiled at him. "I doubt Frank would do that to you, Rachel," Jack said to her honestly, "He wouldn't leave without letting you say goodbye to him."

Looking away, Rachel merely scoffed at his last sentence. If Jack had been to see Frank that morning, he would have known that Frank didn't actually want to see her before he left; he didn't _want_ to say goodbye to her.

"What?" Jack asked softly when she had not answered. He used his free hand to brush some hair from Rachel's face, causing her to look back at him. Their eyes met, and Rachel just loosely shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "Alright," Jack said with a small smile on his face, deciding not to push the subject, "Let's get to work!"

Rachel smiled, and they continued on down the footpath, towards the Sydney Water Police building.

Upstairs in the office, Mick was already getting started on the paperwork. He stopped typing and turned around in his chair when he heard Jack and Rachel's voices coming down the corridor. He gave Rachel a friendly smile when she entered the office; it was the first time he had seen her since her kidnapping ordeal, "How are you doing, Rach?"

"Not bad Mick," she answered, winking at him.

"Good to hear!" there was a brief hesitation from Mick, "How is Frank doing? Jack said you went to see him this morning because he's leaving today?" he knew that bringing up Frank was going to make things a little uncomfortable, but he wanted to get it out of the way.

"Well, he told me that he's going to leave tomorrow instead," Rachel took her time to respond, "But whether I believe him or not is another story!" she added, sharing a sideways glance with Jack.

* * *

Even though it wasn't exactly on the way home from work, Rachel made a quick stop past Birkenhead Point Marina to make sure Frank was still there. She got out of her car and walked towards the main wharf, which was well lit by the full moon. After spying his boat 'Footloose' swaying with the gentle motion of the water, and still tied to its mooring, Rachel drove herself home, relieved that Frank had kept his promise.

When Rachel arrived at home, she saw Jack was only just getting out of his car. He smiled when he saw her, "I thought you would have been here before me," they walked over to each other, and Jack gave her a kiss.

As they wandered inside, Rachel explained why she was a little late. "And is Frank still here in Sydney?" Jack, as he sat down on the couch, glanced over at her, in time to see her nod. He motioned for her to sit down with him on the couch. "See," he said, watching Rachel as she slowly sat down, "I knew that Frank wouldn't leave without letting you say goodbye to him!"

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah, yeah," she sighed and leaned towards Jack, who put his arm around her. "Anyway, I'm sure you don't _really_ want to be talking about Frank right now," Rachel curled herself against him, snuggly.

"No, you're right, I don't want to talk about Frank," Jack began to chuckle quietly. He stroked Rachel's hair, "But… Frank's not going to go away, is he? I mean, even when he's gone… he'll still be here… metaphorically speaking."

Rachel lifted her head up, "That is a load of crap, and you know it Jack!" she exclaimed, wondering if the 'jealousy' that existed between Jack and Frank was ever going to disappear. "I've _told_ you Frank didn't mean what he said in the way that you think," Rachel saw Jack shrug, and asked, "You do know there are different kinds of love, right?"

"Yeah, I know," he nodded.

"Oh do you, Jack?" Rachel asked, her face close to his, "Because it's definitely not how you're acting."

Jack stared at her, feeling the warmth of her breath on his face. "I know, Rach," he took a few moments to reply, "I also know that you're going to say Frank loves you as a friend, and that is different from the way I love you."

"Got it in one!" Rachel exclaimed, brushing her lips against his, "Now, are you sure you want to keep talking about Frank?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Nope."

* * *

Although he didn't know it, the sun was only just starting to rise when Frank woke to his boat violently rocking up and down, and from side to side. When he heard a loud crack of thunder, he realised Sydney was in the middle of a storm. The city itself was well known for its storms; Frank often recalled the bad hail storm that struck just weeks before he went away. Another rumble of thunder forced Frank to get out of bed, and he switched on the radio, patiently waiting to hear the weather report.

 _"The bureau of meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for Sydney and the Central Coast regions. Thunderstorms and flash flooding have been forecast throughout the day, along with gale force winds. The bureau advises –"_

Annoyed, Frank turned off the radio and groaned. Everything seemed to be against him leaving, and now that included the weather too. Frank walked up the stairs and opened the cabin door, exposing himself to the elements. He was immediately hit by heavy rain and cold wind that was strong enough to knock him sideways.

"Shit," Frank whispered to himself, and shut the door. "Why couldn't I just leave yesterday for fuck's sake?" he sat down at the table and wondered out loud.

A one word answer came to mind. One _name_ : Rachel.

* * *

"You know, somehow I don't think Frank will be leaving today," noted Jack, peering out the window. The sky was filled with dark grey clouds that were electrified by bolts of lightning. "Look at it out there, Rach! I wouldn't even want to get in my car today if I didn't have to, let alone a boat!"

Rachel stepped towards the window and stood behind Jack, resting her head gently on his shoulder, "I don't think Frank will let a storm stop him. He said he's been in rough seas before, remember."

"Yeah, but he's still bloody crazy if he thinks he can sail through the heads in that!"

Rachel let out a deep sigh, "Well, I'm gonna see him anyway. See what he's going to do."

Jack turned around, facing her. Concerned about the rain and the hazardous effect it can have on the roads, he said to her, "Just drive carefully, okay?"

"I will, don't worry," she smiled and then kissed him gently, "I'll see you at work."

Smiling, Jack watched her walk out the bedroom, and before she got down to the bottom of the stairs, called out, "I love you!"

"I love you too!" he heard Rachel reply. Jack continued to smile; he couldn't imagine his life without her.

* * *

Just about ready to leave, Frank was sitting in the cabin, tapping his fingers on the table as if he was playing the piano. The boat was still rocking up and down with the waves being produced by the storm. Frank had sailed in rough storms before, and managed to get through them, so he was quietly confident he could do the same this time. He heard a single knock on his cabin door; thinking that it was Rachel, he called out, "It's open!" Frank looked up and saw her enter the cabin, a little wet from the rain.

"It's horrible out there!" she told him, walking down the stairs. Rachel stopped at the bottom of them, noticing that Frank had a rather determined look on his face. "You're still leaving, aren't you?" she guessed, "Despite this shitty weather?"

He nodded, "I've been through shitty weather before, Rachel."

"You're _that_ determined to leave?" Rachel questioned, taking a seat opposite him. There weren't many things that angered her about Frank anymore, but she felt _angry_ with him. Angry that he was taking the easy way out, and pissing off when everything got too hard.

"I'd like you to understand, Rachel, but I don't expect you to."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at the same time. " _Please_ Frank… _please_ don't do this," Rachel felt she had to plead with him to stay.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," came his sorrowful reply, as he stood up, holding his arms out in front of him, "Come on," Frank said, "Give me a hug."

Rachel stood up reluctantly. She thought that giving him a hug would somehow make it final. They put their arms around each other, embracing tightly. Rachel let out the softest of sighs, "I really don't want you to go."

With his chin resting on her shoulder, Frank closed his eyes, hearing the sadness in her voice. He knew it was hurting her, and hurting Rachel was the last thing he wanted to do. Frank pulled away ever so gently, looking into her eyes, "I need to do this," he said, his determination returning, "And hopefully, when I come back again –"

" _If_ you come back."

Frank ignored her interjecting remark, continuing, "When I come back, hopefully everything would have calmed down by then."

"But everything is calm _now_!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes wide, trying to convince him, "Jack is… he understands now. It took him a while, but he understands. He does. All you have to do is talk to him now, and you'll see."

"I talked to Jack the other night."

" _And_?"

Frank shrugged offhandedly, " _And_ nothing. He only came here to tell me what I already know."

Rachel leaned her head back in a deliberate attempt to look away from him. There was something about knowing the way Frank felt that made Rachel feel highly uneasy. She was still angry with him for wanting to leave, but that anger was slowly being replaced by an unnerved feeling she just couldn't shake. Rachel tilted her head back to a normal position when she heard Frank start to talk again.

"I don't want to um…" he hesitated, "Um, seem… like… I'm trying to get rid of you or anything, but I think I should finish getting ready to leave. Otherwise, I won't –" Frank saw a look in her eye that made him stop mid-sentence. He started to shake his head, "Don't make this harder on me than it already is, Rachel."

"Harder on _you_?" she cried out, not overly loud however, "How hard do you think this is on me? I'm emotional enough as it is without this! I just…" her voice began to break, "I want you to stay, Frank. I don't know how many times I have to say it."

"I'm sorry."

* * *

A little under an hour later, Rachel was left standing on the wharf watching Frank sail away, like she had done just over 18 months ago. This time though, it was dark and cold, and looking at the choppy sea, Rachel was worried that Frank wouldn't even make it out the harbour without getting into trouble. She continued to wave until he was no longer in her sight, becoming a mere speck in the harbour. The tears streaming down her face were mixed with rain, which was getting heavier by the second.

Feeling as dreary as the weather, Rachel meandered half-heartedly to her car, silently cursing her umbrella which was rendered useless in the strong wind. When she got to her car, she reluctantly began to drive to work in the pouring rain. Half way there however, Rachel felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower abdomen. As calmly as she could, she pulled over to the side of the road and called Jack, grimacing as the pain got worse. After a few rings, Jack answered his phone, and Rachel struggled to speak coherently.

"Rachel?" Jack immediately sounded alarmed, "Are you okay? What is it?"

"I don't know… I feel like something… is wrong," she finally managed to string some kind of sentence together.

"Where are you?"

Rachel looked around; the heavy rain made it difficult for her to see what road she was on.

"Rach?"

"I don't know, I'm parked somewhere near… Lilyfield Road and Victoria Road in Rozelle I think, heading east," she said, trying to remember the last road sign she saw. "I had to pull over… I couldn't…"

"Okay," Jack tried to remain as calm as he possibly could, "Just stay there Rach, I'm coming, okay? Just stay there. I'll ring an ambulance and then call you back."

"Oh… kay."

At work, Mick was looking over at Jack, wondering what was going on. "Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned about what he had heard.

Jack fumbled as he pulled his jacket on and tried to dial 000 on his mobile at the same time, "Rachel's either having contractions or –" he began to explain to Mick, as the operator on the other end of the line answered the phone, "Ah, yes, ambulance please," Jack said quickly, hurrying out the door, glancing back at Mick over his shoulder, "Tell Jeff I've gone."

Mick stood up, opened his mouth to ask Jack a question, but saw that he had already disappeared down the stairs. He sat back down again, put his hand over his mouth and sighed, hoping that everything would be okay.

"Where's Jack?" Helen entered the office moments later, frowning at Jack's empty seat, "The passenger from yesterday's incident on the ferry is awake."

"Oh…" Mick said quietly, "He got a phone call from Rachel… he said she could be having contractions."

Helen's eyes widened, worriedly at the news, "Shit!" she exclaimed, "It's a bit early in the pregnancy for that, isn't it?"

* * *

Heading towards Victoria Road in Rozelle, Jack phoned Rachel, who answered after the first ring. "Rach," he said as soon as he heard her voice, "I've called an ambulance, they're on their way. I told them I'd call them back if I got to you first so that I can give them an exact location."

"Okay…"

"How are you doing? Are you still in pain?" he asked, weaving in and out of traffic as carefully as he could.

"Ye-yes."

It wasn't the answer Jack wanted to hear. "Alright, don't worry Rach. I'll be with you shortly," he stepped on the accelerator, deciding to use the siren to get to her as quickly as possible. Jack didn't care that it wasn't exactly for 'police business'.

With closed eyes, Rachel took in a deep breath and tilted her head back against the headrest. She felt relieved knowing that Jack was on his way, but part of her was also scared about what was happening inside her body. Her instincts were telling her that something was wrong, even though she had felt the baby move and kick within the last five minutes.

Soon, Rachel opened her eyes when she heard a car pull up behind hers. She looked into the rear vision mirror, and through the driving rain, could just make out that it was Jack. She saw him get out the car, his mobile phone held up to his ear, and run to the front passenger side door. Jack opened the door and got into Rachel's car, "Thanks," he said into his phone before hanging up. He looked at Rachel, leaned over the handbrake and gave her a hug, "The ambulance will be here in a few minutes. They're not far away."

Rachel held onto Jack tightly, happy that he was there with her, "I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear.

Jack pulled out of the hug a little, but still held onto her, "Hey, you've got nothing to apologise for, Rach. It's okay. It's going to be okay. This baby has Christey and Goldstein genes, which means he or she just _has_ to be strong!" he remained positive.

She smiled, grateful for his optimism, "I love you."

"I love you more," he responded, just as the sound of sirens could be heard coming down the street.

* * *

At the Royal Prince Alfred hospital, Jack stood by Rachel's side as she underwent a series of tests. A midwife entered the room, "Hi Rachel, Jack," she said with a friendly smile, "It appears as though you're in the early stages of labour," the midwife, whose name tag read Monica, told her and Jack. "The pain you were feeling earlier _was_ contractions."

"It's a bit early though, isn't it?" Jack wondered, frowning as he said, "Rachel's only 26, almost 27, weeks."

"Yes, very!" Monica replied, walking over to the other side of Rachel's bed. "Because of this, the obstetrician is going to be giving you some medication in the next few minutes. One is an antenatal corticosteroid, which will help rapidly develop the baby's lungs over the next 24 to 48 hours, and the other is called Terbutaline, which is known for helping to stop preterm labour, at least in the short term."

"Are they safe?" asked a concerned Rachel.

"Your baby is showing no signs of distress, so yes, the medication will be safe," she told her softly.

Jack's phone started to ring, "Sorry," Jack said, pulling his mobile out of his pocket, "I'll be back," he smiled at Rachel, and walked out the room. In the quiet corridor, Jack answered the phone in his usual manner, "Christey."

"Jack!" came Helen's worried voice at the other end, "Where are you? How is Rachel?"

"We're at the RPA," he told her, taking a seat not too far from Rachel's room, "It seems like the baby wants to come out early," Jack said, thinking that everything that happened with Frank probably hadn't helped.

"Oh," was Helen's initial reply, "What are the doctors going to do about it?"

Jack ran his free but trembling hand up his forehead, "Well…" he began with an exhausted sounding sigh, "The obstetrician is gonna give Rachel two lots of medication which, one, will help fast track the development of the baby's lungs, and two, they hope will slow down the labour long enough for the first medication to work."

"Geez Jack," she answered quietly, "Tell Rachel that I wish you all the best, alright? I'll come in after work and see you two."

"Sure. Are you able to ring her dad, and let him know?" Jack asked, "Not to worry him or anything."

"Will do, Jack. You go and be with Rachel," Helen nodded even though Jack couldn't see her, "I'll see you later on," she waited until Jack said goodbye before hanging up. Helen sat in her office in silence for a few moments, before calling Rachel's father Felix.

After the relatively quick phone call to Felix, Helen got up and wandered down to the reception area, pulling up a chair in front of the radio controls. She flicked a switch which changed the radio to a different channel, picked up one of the receivers and pressed the button to talk. Hesitating ever so slightly, Helen said, "This is VKG Sydney Water Police, calling boat Footloose on channel five. Frank, do you copy?"

About ten long seconds of static followed. Helen went to speak into the radio again, but heard Frank's voice say, "This is Footloose… Helen, is that you?"

"Frank!" she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was still close enough to Sydney.

"Is everything okay?"

"It's Rachel, she's gone into early labour," Helen informed him, waiting for his reply before she said anything else.

Frank was almost too surprised to answer. "Wh-" he stopped, "Ah, is Jack with her?"

"Yes."

He took his fingers off the button on the radio for a moment so that Helen couldn't hear him sigh. "Does he know you're telling me this?" Frank pressed his finger on the button and asked.

"No, I just… I just thought you should know," _for some stupid reason_ , Helen finished off the sentence in her head.

Despite the horrid weather, Frank thought about turning his boat around and heading back to Sydney, but, even though he was now concerned, Rachel's pregnancy was really none of his business. "Look Helen," he began to say with obvious trepidation, "Tell Rachel that I hope everything goes well, okay?" Frank's voice crackled through the radio, breaking up ever so slightly as he got further away from Sydney.

Helen closed her eyes. She had a feeling that Frank wouldn't come back, even for something like this. "Okay, Frank," she decided to say, "You take care."

On board 'Footloose', Frank put the receiver back in its place, and continued on his way. Somehow, he knew that Rachel was going to be fine, that she and Jack would have a beautiful little baby, and that they would be happy. For the first time since finding out about their relationship, Frank was happy for Rachel, and with that, he finally felt at ease.


	4. Epilogue

**_Coming Home_**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Rachel sat down on her hospital bed, cradling her tiny newborn baby girl in her arms. She looked down at her, admiring how not only quiet she was, but also how absolutely beautiful she was. Her skin was so soft and new, her hands and feet so small that Rachel was almost afraid to touch them in fear that they would break. In silence, Jack entered the room, walking over to the bed with a small smile on his face, "My two gorgeous girls," he whispered in a hush, kissing Rachel's forehead.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Jack shook his head, "Not right now, Rach. I don't want to disturb her. She looks too peaceful in your arms."

Rachel smiled, watching Jack gently stroke their baby's soft head of hair. It was a bittersweet moment, because Rachel felt happy, but also sad at the same time. The awful news still came as a big shock -

"Hey," began Jack, with a soft, almost soothing, voice, "I've got an idea for her name."

"Oh yeah?"

He leaned closer to Rachel and said into her ear, "Hm. What do you think of Frances, after Frank? First or middle name..."

Rachel closed her eyes, thinking back to just two days ago, not long after she had given birth.

* * *

 _"A yacht has been found washed against rocks near the entrance of Sydney Harbour during today's wild weather. The Water Police, who were alerted to the wreckage, hold grave fears for its sole occupant, a 47 year old man from Sydney, missing since the yacht was discovered earlier this afternoon..."_

The news report on the television continued, but Rachel tuned out as she felt her heart skip a few beats, and her stomach tie itself into hundreds of knots. Her mouth opened and she gasped, saying, "Frank..." in a hoarse whisper. Rachel looked down when her hands started to ache; she was clutching the bed sheets with a tight grip.

"Rach..." Jack walked into her room hurriedly. The expression on his face said something was wrong, but he could see that she already knew. Her eyes were filled with tears that refused to leave their place. Jack kissed her forehead, her cheek and lastly, her lips.

"They're not going to find him alive, are they?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Be positive, Rach," was all Jack could manage to say, before he looked over at their baby girl, who was quietly lying awake in the humidicrib next to Rachel's bed. Jack put his hand through one of the holes in the crib, touching her tiny hand. The baby's automatic reaction was to grab hold of his index finger and not let go.

Rachel turned her head to face Jack, smiling sadly, as a couple of tears finally fell from her eyes. "He shouldn't have left, Jack... he was _so_ stupid for leaving," there was a tremble in Rachel's voice as she spoke.

"I know."

* * *

"Rach?" came Jack's calm voice when she had not answered his question. "You don't like it?" he wondered, running his fingertips through some of her hair.

She blinked, looking across at him as a small smile appeared on her face, "No, no, I do like it, Jack. I do," she finally replied with a nod, before suggesting, "Frances... Abegail... Christey."

Jack looked particularly pleased with the name choices. "Well, that's it settled then!" he exclaimed, looking down at the little girl peacefully asleep in her mother's arms, "How do you like your name, hey?" he asked her, despite knowing he wouldn't get a reply, "Frances Abegail Christey."

Smiling as Jack put his arms around her shoulders, Rachel closed her tired eyes. Frank would have been happy, and he would have been proud, she thought, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.


End file.
